Two dozen Democratic House members are pushing legislation that would block the United States from sending more offensive weapons to Israel.
H.R. 3565, or the Block the Bombs Act, is being led by Represenatives Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA.), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Sara Jacobs (D-CA).
Additional cosponsors include Representatives Becca Balint (D-VT, André Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Summer Lee (D-PA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
If passed, the bill would prohibit the U.S. from sending Israel BLU-109 bunker busting bombs, MK80 series bombs, GBU-39 small diameter bomb variants, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), SPICE gliding bomb assemblies, 120mm tank ammunition, and 155mm artillery ammunition.
Israel has killed an estimated 54,000 Palestinians in the Gaza genocide, although the actual death toll is unquestionably much larger.
In statements on the bill, cosponsors drew attention to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza and the United States government’s complicity.
“Netanyahu and Trump are a lethal, unaccountable, extremist duo. Trump has bypassed Congressional oversight on weapons transfers. The Israeli government is currently escalating attacks on the civilian population of Gaza. They are both out of control. Congress needs to assert its oversight authority,” said Ramirez. “Enough is enough. By introducing the Block the Bombs Act, a broad coalition is listening to the American people who don’t want their taxpayers’ money to continue supporting gross violations of US, international, and humanitarian law.”
“This is a moment of great moral consequence. Over the past year and a half, the Government of Israel has repeatedly used U.S.-supplied weapons in violation of both international and U.S. laws,” said Rep. Jayapal. “We can no longer be complicit and allow our tax dollars to facilitate this violence and destruction. I am proud to co-lead this bill that would prevent the transfer of the most egregious offensive weapons to Israel without firm assurances that they will not be used indiscriminately against civilian populations.”
Brad Parker, the associate director of policy at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), told Mondoweiss that, despite Congress recently losing Palestine advocates like Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, more and more lawmakers are receptive to such legislation.
“What’s interesting about this particular bill is that we’ve picked up and added some significant folks that haven’t been on previous rights-based vehicles,” said Parker. “Delia Ramirez, who is leading this, has been very outspoken on Palestinian rights particularly after October 7th, calling for a ceasefire and really highlighting the the human impact of the Israeli military offensive in a strong way.”
“This is a really concrete vehicle that she’s leading that feels really important and I think gives her a lot of credibility,” he continued.
The legislation was introduced before Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran, but supporters say that the escalation underscores the importance of the bill.
“When unaccountable, extremist leaders seek to profit from endless wars and human suffering, we in Congress have the obligation to affirm the Constitution and exert oversight,” tweeted Ramirez after Israel’s bombing began. “That is why I’ve cosponsored the War Powers Resolution and why I introduced the Block the Bombs Act.”
“The U.S. government is the number one funder and supplier of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people,” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid told Mondoweiss. “With our tax dollars, the U.S. has sent tens of thousands of bombs and at least $17.9 billion in military funding to Israel since October 2023, in direct violation of U.S. and international law. Now, Israel is using this massive military arsenal to launch and escalate an extremely dangerous war with Iran.”
“Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly oppose both arming Israel and U.S. military involvement in war with Iran, because nobody wants to foot the bill for endless violence,” he continued. “The U.S. must cut off the endless supply of weapons now, before Israel finishes this genocide and launches the world into all-out war. Every representative has a responsibility to take immediate action. The bare minimum is signing on to the Block the Bombs Act led by Rep. Delia Ramirez and legislation opposing war with Iran.”
As Abuznaid notes, both positions are broadly popular among the U.S. population. A June 2024 CBS poll found that 61% of Americans oppose sending Israel weapons, while a recent Economist/YouGov poll showed 60% are against the U.S. becoming involved in the war on Iran.
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave Lyndon Johnson the authority for the Vietnam war, had only two votes against it. Some things have changed for the better.
BTW the US Congress, under the Constitution, has the right and the duty to declare war. The last time it did was December 1941.